MLB Player News

Rodney struck out a pair while working around a hit in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 25th save of the season Tuesday against the Indians.

Rodney allowed the tying run to reach base to lead off the inning, but he responded by retiring the next three he faced to close out the victory. He threw 11 of 17 pitches for strikes and recorded multiple punchouts for the third time in his last six appearances. Rodney's ERA is down to 3.09 for the season, but with a 1.40 WHIP, he can still run into some trouble from time to time.

Manaea (10-8) got the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one over 2.2 innings against the Dodgers.

Manaea struggled from the get-go and needed 77 pitches (47 strikes) just to record 10 outs. The damage could have been worse, as he exited with two runners on, but reliever Emilio Pagan ended the threat there without further damage. It was the lefty's shortest outing of the season, but he still sports a solid 3.50 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 24 starts. He'll look to turn it around Monday against the Mariners.

Lopez allowed one run on four hits in seven innings Tuesday against the Yankees, striking out six and walking two in a no-decision.

Lopez gave up a solo home run to Miguel Andujar to account for his only run allowed on the evening, and was otherwise very effective. This marks back-to-back quality starts for the young righty, and he now has 13 quality starts on the year. Lopez has a 4.30 ERA and 1.35 WHIP to go along with a .243 batting average against. His next start will come against the Tigers in Detroit.

Kimbrel (3-1) earned the win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday after blowing his fourth save of the season. He allowed a solo home run but otherwise struck out the side with no walks.

Kimbrel entered the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead but gave up a one-out home run to Justin Smoak, sending the game to extra innings. Thankfully the Red Sox offense responded with a five-spot during the 10th inning to let the right-hander off the hook. In his last five appearances the 30-year-old has blown two saves with five runs allowed on six hits and five walks over five innings. Prior to his recent struggles, Kimbrel had allowed only eight runs runs across 41.2 innings for the season.

Pomeranz allowed two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings during Tuesday's 10-7 win over the Blue Jays. He did not factor in the decision while walking five with one strikeout.

Pomeranz threw only 44 of 84 pitches for strikes as he once again struggled with his control. The 29-year-old has an ugly 6.31 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 44:32 K:BB over 51.1 innings this season. Pomeranz may revert to a bullpen role for the near future with Chris Sale (shoulder) nearing a return from the disabled list and two scheduled off days next week.

Jerez was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

The Angels acquired Jerez from the Red Sox last week and he now heads to Los Angeles with starting pitcher Nick Tropeano (shoulder) headed to the disabled list. The 26-year-old left-hander has a 3.62 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 72 strikeouts over 54.2 innings at the Triple-A level this season.

Belisle was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right knee chondromalacia (sore cartilage) Tuesday.

It's unclear how much time the issue will cause Belisle to miss. In a corresponding move, Matt Magill was reinstated from the paternity list.

Curtis was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Tuesday and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Curtis has a solid 3.73 career ERA in 31.1 major-league innings, but his walk and strikeout rates each sit at an ugly 17.7 percent. He could be called up when the Rangers need another lefty or a new long man in the bullpen. Brandon Mann was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Diaz worked around a pair of base hits to deliver a scoreless inning and claim his league-leading 42nd save of the season in Monday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Diaz wasn't quite as dominant as usual while allowing singles to two of the first three batters he faced, but he got Willie Calhoun to foul out and struck out Shin-Soo Choo swinging to strand the tying run at second base. With a 14.9 K/9, 1.96 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and a nine-save gap between him and any other MLB reliever, Diaz has unquestionably been the most valuable fantasy closer this season, a surprising development after an occasionally bumpy 2017 campaign.

Junis allowed one run on five hits and two walks across five innings in a no-decision Monday against the Cubs. He struck out eight.

Junis worked effectively to contain a formidable opponent, with the only run charged to his ledger coming on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. He reached eight strikeouts for the first time in over two months and likely could've gone deeper into the game had he not worked up a high pitch count early on. This bounce-back performance was a positive sign for Junis, who'd allowed seven earned runs across 10.1 innings over his last two starts. He still has a disappointing 4.98 ERA on the season and will look to improve upon that against the Cardinals in his next scheduled start.